concern for everybody in this country. >> it will be interesting to see in 2013 what the political situation is like, what the political consensus is like in washington. >> i would bet on a lot more indebtedness by the federal government, and i would also add a prayer that the republicans and democrats would work together to avoid that. we have just got to get together. disaster is not red or blue. it's going to be american, and we don't want it. >> and we don't want to cash in our chips, but that's the final hand. our thanks to all of our guests for being here and to you for watching. on behalf of all the folks at "ac 360" and cnn, i'm tom foreman wishing you all of the best and none of the worst in 2013.

hello, i'm don lemon, and this is cnn's top ten of 2012. this hour, we look at the stories that captured our attention, what we see as the biggest stories of the year around the world. in crime, money, weather, and even the biggest scandals. and later thishour, the big reveal of the most intriguing people of the year as chosen by you. we begin with the topic that dominated our coverage for much of the year, here's cnn's chief political correspondent and anchor of "state of the union" candy crowley with the top ten political stories of 2012. >> picking the top ten moments of an election your is like finding your favorite grain of sand on the beach. there are the moments when catch phrases become boomerangs. >> if you have a business, you didn't build that. >> i like being able to fire people who provide services to me. >> when cast members stole the spotlight.

>> i'm an american woman who uses contraception. let's start there. >> it's like an etch astetch. we shake it up and start over again. >> and a number of moments ranging from ridiculous to inexprickable. >> i think it's called romnesia. >> if i were to coin a term, it would be obama-loney. >> there were game changers, too, moments that shook up the race or made history and made our top ten list. it was scene at the time as a proxy race for november. wisconsin's republican governor scott walker in a showdown with organized labor over budget cuts and collective bargaining power. turns out it was no bellwether for the race. walker won, the first governor in history to survive a recall election. and another nod to a republican governor. >> i cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and his compassion for our state and the people of our state.

>> new jersey governor chris christie's full on embrace of president obama for helping sandy-raved new jersey came days before the election and had no noticeable effect on the presidential race, but some republicans think christie didn't have to be that effusive. they'll remember if his name pops up in 2016. >> if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut that whole thing down. >> from the "say what" category of entries come todd akin and richard mourdock. >> life is a gift from god, and even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, it is something that god intended to happen. >> republican dreams to take control of the senate in 2012 had dwindled throughout the year, but akin and mourdock shut the door in those sentences. two words from romney reverberated all the way to

november. his issue was the plan to prevent employers from hiring undocumented workers. >> people who come here illegally won't be able to find work and will self-deport. >> the concept of self deportation was not by itself responsibility for romney's dismal showing by his panics, but it greased the skids. also a moment where romney wished to have a mulligan, there was this -- >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. there are 47% of people who are with him, who are depend upon the government, who think they're victims. >> romney calmed his remarks wrong. they also caused the deepest self-inflicted wound of the election. on the flipside -- >> the next vice president of the united states. >> romney's v.p. day may have been the best moment of his campaign. the selection of paul ryan excited conservatives in a way romney himself had not.

how many moments are there in an hour and a half? the president lost all of them in the first debate. the pictures tell the story of a man who phoned it in. panicking his supporters and providing an opening for romney, and finally, the top three moments of the election best described as history-making polit politics. a supreme court decision upholding the constitutionality of obama care. and if that doesn't strike you as political, consider what would have happened on the campaign trail if the high court had struck down the president's signature first-cherm achievement. >> at a certain point, i have just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> the first president to indorse same-sex marriage was a daily double moment. good politics aimed at an activist wing of his party base

and most certainly history. and finally, the number one political moment of the year is easy during elections. >> cnn projects that barack obama will be re-elected president of the united states. >> we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. we are and forever will be the united states of america. >> cue the confetti and then say good-bye to 2012 and all its moments, historical and hysterical. candy crowley, cnn, washington. >> civil unrest. a new dictator, and a teen who took on the taliban. they're among our top ten international stories of 2012. here's cnn's zain verjee. >> can you believe it is already the end of the year? actually, the mayan calendar said it would be the end of the world, but oh, my goodness, look at this. we're still here and we're heading into 2013. there were so many headlines this year. so many important stories of

2012, from conflict, hopelessness, to inspiration and hope, and we also made sure we had a little bit of fun. take a look. >> number ten -- the queen of england celebrated her diamond jubilee year. it rained on her flotilla parade, but it didn't take the sparkle out of the magical moment. millions lined the streets, millions more tuned in for this famous wave. number nine. september 11th in benghazi, libya. u.s. ambassador chris stevens and three other americans killed in a terror attack on the u.s. diplomatic mission there. american officials first suggestedspontaneous, sparked by a protest over a controversial anti-muslim film. the white house's handling of the attack became a political hot button. number eight, a political

transition in north korea, but no freedom here in the hermit kingdom. kim jong-un took over for his father. the west hoped there would be change, but there wasn't. at the year's end, it flexed its military and technological muscle with its first successful rocket launch, successfully placing a rocked in orbit. number seven, brutality by police and private security was out in the open in south africa where the killing of miners was captured and broadcast everywhere. miners were protesting, demanding higher wages. the price they had to pay shocked the world. number six, ten more years. the communist party of china selected new leaders. the secretive protests produced a new president, and l.a. lakers fan married to a rock star. but china's foreign policy is unlikely to stay the same,

though the new leader is under pressure to deal with corruption and poverty at home. number five, mohamed morsi, a leader of the muslim brotherhood, became president of egypt. as his predecessor, a deictator ousted by his people, went on trial from his hospital bed. morsi tried a cease-fire that ended the war fare between hamas and israel. then he allowed himself sweeping powers at home, triggering an outburst in tahrir square. number four, israel and hamas poured fuel on the fiery unrest in the region. >> whoa. >> one side firing rockets. the other launching missile strikes against targets in gaza. for the first time, israel felt vulnerable in jerusalem and tel aviv. the site of this bus evac,

before the big guns helped broker a cease fire. number three, in europe, greece was the problem child that spent too much, saved nothing, and threatened to take down the euro. new leadership didn't stop constant violent protests staged by those facing loss of jobs, pay cuts, and higher taxes as their weary government begged for more cash. europe's leaders including the new french president, committed to save the euro. it lives on, but for how long? number two, the deadliest month to date as the assad regime intensified their use of air power. >> one of the questions most asked in 2012 is how much longer can this man hold on to power? bashar al assad was under ever more intense pressure to step down. but his regime stepped up the firepower against the

opposition. civilians caught in the cross fire, more than 40,000 people have died so far. >> this is yet another bread line. >> the opposition fights on, making more dramatic gains than ever. and gaining pleasures of additional support from the international community. number one, she fought back from the brink of death after being attacked on a school bus. the taliban shot malala in the head because she was an outspoken advocate for the education of girls in pakistan, but books won over bullets. the 15-year-old miraculously survived. she woke up in a british hospital and according to her father, immediately asked for her school books. the world was gripped, moved, and inspired by the story of one determined young girl facing down an entire network of armed militants and winning. zain verjee, cnn, london. >> next, the stories that made

news for all the wrong reasons. criminal acts that claimed far too many lives. >> and later, scandal, profession athletes, national leader, even the royal family. no one was immune from it in 2012. when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars.

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the year definitely had its share of horrendous crime stories. some capturing international attention and outrage. others filled with disturbing details, almost too hard to believe. here is randi kaye with our top ten crime and punishment stories of 2012. >> a manhunt is under way for mcafee software founder john mcafee. >> the computer wiz and millionaire is now wanted for questioning in the murder of an american ex-patriot in belize. >> police are pursuing multiple leads and they claim they want to just talk to mcafee as part of the investigation, but no one knows where he is. >> this is strange and only got stranger after weeks went by and no one could find him. well, not no one. >> breaking news right now. a fugitive software tycoon, john mcafee, wanted for questions in the murder of his neighbor, is

on the run from authorities, but martin savidge found him. >> number nine, the day darkness fell under a crystal clear august sky in wisconsin. >> seven people are dead at this point. three of them, we're told, outside that temple. >> the gunman on a rampage at a sikh temple. u.s. army veteran michael page. after shooting one police officer multiple times -- >> shots fired, shots fired at an officer? >> page was shot and killed by another officer. number eight, the massacre in kandahar province. >> the united states takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered. >> the accused gunman, army staff sergeant robert bales. they said bales left his afghanistan outpost on a night back in march and single ha single-handedly attacked two villages, opening fire and killing 16 afghan civilians in

their homes and wounded six others. >> number seven, striking a deal in the shooting that struck a blow to the nation. >> the man who shot congresswoman gabrielle giffords and killed six people in a rampage in tucson last year pled guilty to 16 charges. >> he was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms plus 140 years. his guilty plea means he will avoid the death penalty. >> chicago's death rate soared to levels not sign in a decade. by december, over 5,000 people were killed in the city. >> innocent kids and women are being shot on a daily basis. >> averaging more than a murder a day, most of the crime happened in a few specific areas. >> the entire city suffers when violence happens. and this idea of not in my backyard is not okay. >> we start this morning with breaking news from italy. >> a massive cruiseship, the

costa concordia turned on its side after running aground in january. 32 passengers and crew were killed. the captain says it was an accident, not a crime. but he now faces charges. the ship's captain is being investigated for manslaughter and abandoning ship. he claims he tripped and fell into a life boat. the sentencing of jerry sandusky. jerry sandusky will die in jail. >> a judge sentenced the 68-year-old former penn state assistant football coach to at least 30 years in jail after he was convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse. despite the mountain of evidence against him, sandusky continues to proclaim his innocence. he's in the process of appealing his sentence. number three, the shooting of unarmed 17-year-old trayvon martin. >> my son left sanford, florida, in a body bag, while george zimmerman went home to go to sleep in his own bed.

>> accused gunman george zimmerman claimed self defense in a case that sparked international outrage and ignited racial tensions. trial is set for june. number two -- >> we need rescue inside the auditorium. multiple victims. >> seven down in theater nine. seven down! >> july 20th, just past midnight, terror inside theater number nine. >> aurora, colorado, nine miles east of denver, where there has been a mass shooting at a movie theater. >> prosecutors say jas holmes donned protective gear, threw tear gas, and began firing. in the end, 12 people killed, 58 others wounded. holmes faces 152 charges. many victims continue to recover while others will never recover the loss they suffered that night. and number one -- >> unimaginable horror grips the nation. one of the deadliest school shootings in u.s. history. >> tragedy at sandy hook

elementary. >> this is unspeakable, what happened in this town. >> innocent children shot dead in their classrooms. the victims -- 16 6-year-olds, 4 7-year-olds along with six adults. >> emilie's smile was infectious, and all that met her would agree the world was a better place because she's was in it. >> in newtown, connecticut, outpouring of kindness and compassion while they faced questions about mental health and guns as the president issued an emotional call for action. >> for those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on and make our country worthy of their memories. >> randi kaye, cnn, atlanta. next, the stories that affect your bottom line. from facebook's ipo to the new apple boss, to the fiscal cliff. a look at the biggest money stories of the year. and later this hour, the ten

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breaking news tonight. one of the greatest voices of her generation, whitney houston, has died. >> february 11th, 2012, a tragic end for an iconic singer. whitney houston, who battled with drugs and alcohol for

decades, was found dead in a los angeles hotel bathroom. houston's death was ruled an accidental drowning with the effective heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors. she was just 48. that was one of the biggest entertainment moments of 2012. somebody said 2012 was the year of washington versus the rest of us, employment, home prices, and the stock market all up. even as our nation's leaders failed to get their act together. here are the top ten stories that caught the attention of cnn business correspondent christine romans and our chief business correspondent ali velshi. >> number ten, apple. the first year without steve jobs and a company that is trying to prove under a new ceo that it can still invent things we didn't even know we needed that we would buy faster than anything has ever been sold in personal technology before. >> number nine, the u.s. stock market, despite all the worries about the fiscal cliff and maybe

slower growth in the u.s. economy, the stock market has had a great year. too bad you missed out. our money has been in the market, the rest of us have been worried about the fiscal cliff. >> number eight, facebook's ipo, hundreds of millions of people like facebook, but investors did not in its fist day as a trading company. questions about nasdaq and the company's ability to make money on mobile users pummeled the stock which has yet to climb back to its ipo price. >> number seven, mother meyer. the new ceo of yahoo, who announced she was just going to take a two-week maternity leave as she tried to turn the company around. looks like a mother's touch is just what yahoo needed. >> number six, mother nature. a drought in the midwest that scorched the corn and bean crops. who can forget superstorm sandy?

neighborhoods along the northeast swept away. millions without power, and damages as high as $50 billion, raising lots of questions about u.s. infrastructure and whether we should be spending money to fix it. >> number five, china. is china slowing or is china leading the world? we know that china will be the biggest economy in the world by 2020, for sure by 2030. >> china. >> china. >> china also getting more than a few mentions in the presidential campaign. probably because it's pretty clear china is boast a competitor and a partner. >> number four, europe. the european union was frared by too much debt and the austerity plan to fix it. that saga is far from over. number three, the housing market, finally, finally bottomed out. the combination of low home prices and continued record-low mortgage rates set off a building and buying spree. well heeled investors began buying entire neighborhoods, but

first-time buyers were also able to get a home of their own for the first time in years, as long as they had a hefty downpayment. >> number two. >> cnn projects barack obama will be re-elected president of the united states. >> the election. more than just about obama and romney, it was about socialism and capitalism, spending and cutting, about what kind of role government should have in your life. >> number one is the fiscal cliff. lawmakers saw it coming but didn't bother to pay any attention to it until after the election. had they put politics aside and dealt with it earlier, who knows how strong the u.s. economy would be right now. next, scandal. can you guess who made our list because of bad behavior? questions?

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here's what's happening tonight. we're starting with this major christmas storm that's creating big problems right now across the south. look at this. it's a large tornado touching down earlier in mobile, alabama. there are reports of damage and tens of thousands without power. this extreme weather is moving towards the east coast. we'll bring you another update in the next hour. new details tonight in the christmas eve ambush that took the lives of two firefighters. william spangler shot the men to

death as they responded to an early-morning fire in webster, new york, in a suicide note, he wrote he wanted to burn the neighborhood down and kill people. two other firefighters were injured. >> will you soon be paying higher taxes? that will be the reality if both sides in washington cannot reach a deal on the fiscal cliff. president obama and house speaker john boehner are still far apart on any agreement. they'll be back in washington later this week to try to reach a compromise. and season's greetings from way up high. astronauts aboard the international space station are taking time to share in the holiday spirit. after wishing everyone a merry christm christmas, look at this, one of the crew members had a little fun, a little gravity free fun with the tree. i'm victor blackwell. more of cnn's top ten of 2012 coming up.

three, two, one. and liftoff. liftoff. >> may, 2012, spacex launches a rocket into space, becoming the first international company to launch into the space station. private companies instead of nasa sending cargo and eventually humans to space. and one of our top scientific and technological break throughs of 2012. it was a banner year for bad behavior and not all of it easy to stomach, from sports to politics and beyond. here is joe johns with the ten most scandalous stories of 2012. >> number ten, royalty gone wild. this year, the british royal jewels got a public viewing, in las vegas, prince harry got caught in his birthday suit playing strip billiards which didn't go over well back home, but when duchess catherine was photographed by paparazzi in

various states of undress while on vacation with prince william, it was the photographers who became targets of outrage. >> number nine, going out of bounds. the nfl made it a mission to crack down on concussions, so it was unpleasant for the league to learn in march that the new orleans saints had a bounty system from 2009 to 2011. paying team members for big hits that knocked opposing players out of the game. commissioner roger goodell responded with harsh suspensions for the head coaches and assistants. number eight, the wheels fly off the bike. cycling superstar lance armstrong had endured the swirl of steroid rumors for years, but that all changed in august. the seven-time tour de france winner was stripped of his title, lost his sponsorships and even left the board of his charity, live strong, after they found that he engaged in a long-term pattern of blood

doping during his career. armstrong still denies using performance enhancing drugs. >> number seven, wrong side of the street. few things are more universal for american children than sesame street and elmo, which makes the elmo sex scandal all the more shocking. kevin clash resigned as the iconic voice of elmo after allegations surfaced that years ago, he had sexual contact with underaged males. the show said no one there knew anything about it. >> number six, congress behaving badly. democratic congressman jesse jackson jr. of illinois was re-elected even though he was absent for months due to mental health issues and under federal investigation for misusing fralsh resources. weeks after the election, he resigned. during the campaign, allegations surfaced that this man had urged his pregnant mistress to get an abortion decades ago.

he denied the affair or the abortion and was re-elected. >> number five, libor pants on fire. even if you have never heard of libor, it probably has a big impact on your finances. they're determined in part by the rate at which banks borrow from each other, called libor. in june, british bank barclays paid half a million for manipulating these important interest rates and investigations at other banks are still ongoing. the sheer scale of it is huge. t it makes bernie madoff who made off with millions look like a skid row pick pocket. >> number four, big trouble in communist china. everybody thought one of the most powerful politicians in china was getting rid of crime and corruption until the summer when a court convicted his wife of murdering a british businessman and the government accused him of trying to hinder the investigation. as well as taking bribes and abusing his power. now he's been kicked out of the

communist party. leaders voted to expel him in november. >> number three, a service becomes not so secret. the role of protecting the president when he travels abroad has its moments of glamour and excitement. that atmosphere included hookers for some secret service agents and military personnel visiting cartagena in advance of the president's arooivl in april. it was an embarrassing incident for the white house, but it wouldn't have bothered colombian authority since prostitution is legal there. local police only got involved because of an altercation between a woman and a secret service agent due to payments. number two, it's been called the building that never sleeps, but the bbc's london headquarters says it was unaware of the serious allegations involving jimmy savo. they investigated child sexual abuse but failed to air a report on what it may have discovered about an alleged abuser in their

midst. six people have been arrested so far and the director general has resigned. number one, david petraeus' blown cover. the illustrious career of retired four-star general and cia director david petraeus was brought to an abrupt end by e-mail. here's what happened. last spring, his biographer paula broadwell wrote anonymous e-mails to jill kelley warning her to stay away frame high ranking military officers. kelley complained to a friend in the fbi which led to an investigation with unexpected consequences. the fbi also discovered e-mail exchanges between broadwell and petraeus showing that in addition to being his biographer, she was also his mistress. >> who knows what's in store for 2013? joe johns, cnn, washington. comedian dino joins us. top of the list, scandal in

washington. are you surprised petraeus topped the list? >> no, i'm not. he's the top spy in america, and he can't keep an affair secret. there's some human quality in there and humor at the same time. it's remarkable to me. it's men in power thinking they can get away with it, bill clinton, john edwards, newt gingrich, and it's endemic of women in power thinking they can live by different rules. >> let's turn now to the royal family. even the royal family couldn't escape the litany? >> absolutely not. in this case, though, prince harry. he had trouble after trouble. if you invite a bunch of people to your room, get drunk, play strip poker, and allow them to take pictures, you're going to be in the press. while the duchess unfortunately for her had some expectations of privacy, she was alone on a french villa, and they used long lenses to take pictures of her. completely different scenario. that's why he deserves to be in

the media and she doesn't for what she did. >> is it a double standard, though, because he's a guy, and so everyone has said, you know, they brush it off a little bit. if a woman, a female member of the royal family had taken pictures like prince harry, it would be quite a different story. >> i think it would be, but the scenarios are different. if she invited a bunch of people she met in a scenario to her vip suite to get drunk, take pictures, you're opening yourself up for it. butige this world, we have to limit them by profiting off pictures of celebrities by invading their privacy. that's what it's about. a different scenario. you know, we have to have some standards. i agree with this one. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> in 2011, the united states experiences 14 weather disasters costing $1 billion or more. and in 2012, the hits kept on coming. >> number ten, april 15th. >> tonight, millions of people

throughout the midwest are battened down. >> in a second, the whole house was gone. we were looking at the blue sky. >> 75 tornadoes rip through the midwest, causing nearly $300 million in damage. >> number nine, tropical storm debby. >> tropical storm debby. this is what happens when you get hammered by as much as two feet of rain. >> the storm never developed into a hurricane, but it did leave up to 28 inches of rain in northern florida. >> number eight, summer heat wave. sweltering heat baked the nation this summer. march and july set u.s. records as the hottest of all-time. >> number seven, western wildfires. >> oh, my god. smoke in the air. >> heat waves fueled wildfires that charred the west. colorado experienced two of the state's largest and most destrublthive fires ever. >> number six, the duratio in june. >> it began in iowa, moves through indiana, ohio, and into

washington, d.c. a fast-moving, long-lasting, violent thunderstorm complex. >> after charging 800 miles, 22 were dead and 5 million were without power. >> number five, the dallas 22. there's an old myth that tornadoes don't hit big cities. april 3rd proved otherwise when twisters hilt dallas. >> it was scary. it was so scary. it reminds you of the "wizard of oz." >> in all, 22 tornadoes cause nearly a billion of damage within 24 hours. >> number four, deadliest tornatorna tornado tornadoes. tornadoes took up three spots in the top ten countdown, but this event was the deadliest. march 2nd and 3rd, 70 tornadoes killed 40 people in the u.s. >> number three, hurricane isaac. hurricane isaac descended on louisiana tuesday night, nearly seven years to the day that hurricane katrina struck.

isaac wasn't such a monster, but it was still a killer. the country held its collective breath as the levees were tested yet again. in the end, the new levees saved new orleans, but plaquemines parish was devastated by flo floodi flooding. >> number two, the dust bowl. by september, 66% of the u.s. was in some degree of drought. the dry weather is expected to continue into 2013 and this could become the costliest natural disaster in u.s. history. >> and number one, superstorm sandy. >> it made landfall over the most populated areas of the united states. wind damage, power outages, inland flooding, even snowstorms are threatening the lives and homes of people from virginia to massachusetts. >> i have never seen devastation like this in my life. >> the storms here getting much, much more violent. >> curfew is under way right now. you're not to be on the streets.

>> they're keeping the eye on the possibility of flooding. >> superstorm sandy has crippled the nation's biggest transit system. >> we're talking about flooding, power outages that could last for days. >> people need to be self aware. >> the storm killed at least 113 people in the u.s. and caused 10s of billions of dollars in damage. total repairs will take decades. chad myers, cnn. next, the most intriguing people of 2012 as voted on by you. but first, remembering some of those we lost this past year. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. your soups are so awesomely delicious my husband and i can't stop eating 'em! what's...that... on your head?

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♪ gangnam style ♪ gangnam style >> you know you know it. that south korean rapper psy and his viral hit, gangnam style. with more than 1 billion views, it has become the most watched youtube video of all time. while he may have danced his way to the record books, did he make the list of most intriguing people of 2012 as chosen by you. here is brooke baldwin. >> number ten, supreme court chief justice john roberts. >> the united states supreme court in a major decision, a 5-4

decision, upholds the president's health care reform law. >> you could have imagined the deciding vote was cast by the chief justice himself. conservatives done. liberals perplexed but thrilled. forging ahead, the roberts court takes on same-sex marriage. >> number nine, yahoo ceo marissa meyer. at 37, head of a major tech company, a ceo in a male-dominated field, pregnant. it's the baby part that became problematic, shall we say, when meyer decided to take just a couple weeks for maternity leave. the mommy blogosphere went nuts. sure, she could be woman in charge, but what message she co charge but what message was she sending by not staying home longer with her baby? number eight. south korean rapper psy. ♪ opum gangnam style

>> say what you want, his lasso inspired dance style first discovered on youtube had everyone going gangnam. and we mean everyone. >> the lasso again, then the horseback. >> psy was riding high in 2012. star performer in the most watched youtube video of all time. ♪ hey sexy lady >> number seven. republican presidential candidate mitt romney. >> this election is over, but our principles endure. >> romney ran on his impressive business credentials. but it was his multiple gaffes that analysts say helped seal his fate. remember the 47% comments? >> there are 47% who are with him who are dependent on government. >> oh, and this one. >> whole binders full of women.

>> number six. ex-cia director general david petraeus. >> some breaking news now coming in regarding the chief of the cia. general david petraeus. >> general petraeus, can you talk about this, please? >> the news was unexpected. the reason shocking. petraeus, a retired four-star general, had quit his cia post and admitted he had cheated on his wife. petraeus' mistress was also his biographer paula broadwell. an embarrassing exit from the public stage by one of the most respected public servants of his time. >> an impressive list, huh? and that's only half of them. the most intriguing people of 2012 numbers five to one revealed after a quick break. my geico app...see? y ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir.

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this is a symbol of good luck especially if you touch the buttons on the chimney sweeper's coat. happy new year from germany.

it was a move that outraged nfl fans in 2012. the league battling with referees over money tried to use replacements from college and even high school. but after a blown game-deciding call on national tv, the two sides decided it was best to settle and agreed on a new contract within days making the replacement refs one of our top

sports moments of the year. the men in stripes did not make our most intriguing list, so who did? we continue our countdown of those you voted as the most intriguing people of 2012. here's five through one. >> number five. super jumper felix bumgarner. let's face it, he's done what no human has ever done, diving from the edge of space, breaking the sound barrier along the way. >> i'm still the same guy, but as soon as you start traveling, people recognize my face. >> ways scared. >> you were scared? >> i was a little bit scared. >> number four. new jersey governor chris christie. >> the shore and the boardwalk at seaside heights of my childhood no longer exists. >> hello there, governor. >> thank you for everything. >> the rough and tumble governor took charge when a superstorm

named sandy ravaged his state days before the presidential election. a romney backer, suddenly christie was standing arm in arm with the president, praising mr. obama's leadership as they toured sandy's wrath. >> when you know you have responsibility for those folks, you could give a damn about the politics of things. i could care less today. >> number three. olympian gabby douglas. >> gabby douglas! >> one of the fab five at the london games. she captured our hearts, becoming the first african-american gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same olympics. >> i wanted to inspire a nation, and inspire a generation, and i love that. >> she did just that. number two.

school-age activist. she troez fame blogging about the brutality of her life in pakistan under taliban rule. not yet a teenager, she dared to suggest girls not only deserve but have a right to an education. >> i will get my education if it is in home school or any place. >> the taliban retaliated, hunting her down, shooting her in the neck and back. the attack outraged even hardened pakistanis, and all around the world she quickly became an international symbol of good against evil. today she is recovering in england. number one. president barack obama. >> tonight, you voted for action, not politics as usual. >> after a long, and we mean long and bitter campaign, prest